“It's Even Worse than We Thought”
Every great story begins with a problem
The problem in “The Story” is sin and death
We all know the problem is bad
But it's even worse than we thought!
But one thing is made perfectly clear:
Everything God does is good
Everything God does is right
Everything God does is righteous
Genesis chapters 1-11 tells us about the problem:
Sin is a problem of choice
Sin is a problem of emotions
Sin is a problem of corruption
Sin is a problem of perversion
Sin is a problem of pride
Sin is not just a problem with our behavior
But also with our nature
“The Story” is all about God's solution:
God's plan for forgiveness of sins
God's provision for cleansing from sin
Genesis 1:1-2
1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:31 – 2:1
31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the sixth day.
1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
Genesis 3:8-12
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"
10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."
11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
Genesis 4:6-8
6 Then the LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Genesis 6:11-12
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence. 12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
Genesis 9:20-22
20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father's nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
Genesis 11:4
4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
John 1:1-5
1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
NIV
January 12 - 16, 2014
Reading Assignment: Chapter #1
“The Beginning of Life as We Know It”
Sunday morning Sermon:
“It's Even Worse than We Thought!”
Pastor Philip C. Rogers
Middletown Church of the Nazarene
Middletown, Indiana
Master copy of notes and audio version of the sermon at